Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any canon characters. Original characters are my copyright, as is this story. I'm not making any money from this. Woe is me. I do, however, own a nice bridge in Brooklyn which I'd like to sell to you. No copyright infringement is intended, and any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental. Unbeta'd, as this is my story in about a decade. ;-)

Chapter 1: Recollection

(A/N: 'Selek' is the assumed identity of the older version of Spock who time-travelled from the future)

Elder Selek placed his PADD on his desk, reclined in his seat and spent precisely 2.47 minutes taking in the views from his office window whilst awaiting his final visitor of the day. The sunset on New Vulcan was indeed aesthetically pleasing, even if it was not quite as breathtaking as the view from his palatial childhood home. Selek customarily paused in his tasks to meditate on the reds, oranges and golds that set the horizon ablaze as the sun sank into the distant mountain ranges. So reminiscent of his home world - and yet, so very not.

This was a ritual he had practised since his early childhood, when he would frequently run into the desert without telling his father where he was or what he was doing. He knew this greatly displeased Sarek, but he could not help himself. The only time he truly felt liberated as a child was when he sat in the cool sands, observing the sunrise or sunset over the eternal Sas-a-shar.

In truth, his katra had soared in the isolation of the desert, free from the judgemental eyes of his fellow Vulcans. His childhood escapades had allowed him to briefly shrug off the oppressive shackles of emotional control that his father, and his father's people, were forcing upon his tormented, half-human soul. It was the only time when he truly felt free to be himself, without having to prove he was 'Vulcan enough'. He deemed it worth enduring any punishment his father could devise in order to feel this free.

Selek retreated from his reverie and retrieved his PADD to review the following day's tasks. In the four years since Vulcan's destruction, Selek had excelled in his position on the High Council of New Vulcan. Due to his experience as a Starfleet officer and a Federation diplomat, Selek was deemed to be the ideal Elder to co-ordinate New Vulcan's repatriation efforts. Nero had destroyed all but 10,000 Vulcan citizens - fewer than were required to form a healthy gene pool to repopulate their race. It was essential that all available Vulcans should join the colony and begin breeding, out of season if required, to rebuild their population.

It was in his capacity as Minister for Repatriation that Selek was expecting his final visitor for the evening, a young male named Sagan who wished to discuss a missing relative. Uncharactaristically for a Vulcan, Sagan seemed to be running late for his appointment. After waiting for what he considered to be a suitable period, Elder Selek was about to leave when he heard a tentative knock at his door.

Selek straightened in his seat and bade his visitor to enter. The door opened slowly and a young male timidly entered the room. "Elder Selek?" asked the wide-eyed young male. "I am he." replied Selek. "Forgive my tardiness, Elder, but I am uncertain as to whether my request might be granted and have been…. concerned about approaching the Council with it. My name is Sagan."

Selek offered the young male a seat and a drink of water before settling back into his own seat. "Perhaps if you make your request, young one, I may be able to ascertain whether it could feasibly be granted. It is illogical to be concerned before the outcome is known."

"As you wish, S'haile" responded Sagan. He took a deep breath and folded his hands on his lap. "Elder, I come before you today because I understand that females of mating age are in very short supply. I am not in need of a mate at present so that is not the purpose of my visit. However, I did once have a sister who was healthy and aesthetically pleasing, who might be suitable to help increase our numbers." Selek nodded briefly, encouraging the youth to continue.

"Regrettably, my sister was… shall we say, indiscreet?… in her choice of associates and fell into inappropriate company. My family were disgraced to find her entertaining several males in her bedchamber, and after she refused to recant her emotional ways our father was left with no choice but to cast her out. We have been estranged for 23 years. But much has changed since then". Selek nodded tersely; much had indeed changed, and further change would be required for Vulcan society to be rebuilt.

"As she was my only sibling, I have secretly maintained a certain amount of contact with her over the years without our parents' knowledge. Nothing detailed, just brief contact to let her know that we're well and for her to return the courtesy. However, I have not heard from her in several years although I can still feel her presence faintly through our family bond. Our parents perished in the Genocide, so we now have no relatives bar each other. S'haile, even though my sister is V'tosh ka'tur, it is important to me that I should make contact with her whilst I still have the chance." Sagan looked down, his voice a faint whisper. "I have no-one else."

The young male then sat quietly, looking down at his carefully folded hands. He seemed almost afraid to await his Elder's response.

Selek reclined slightly in his seat, his elegant brows furrowed as he considered Sagan's request. He knew what it meant to lose a sibling in such a manner. Selek - or rather, Spock - had been 12 when his elder brother Sybok had been declared V'tosh ka'tur under similar circumstances. Young Spock had greatly admired his debonair, intellectual, fully-Vulcan brother. Sybok was everything Spock had dreamed of being. A gifted student, Sybok had progressed in his studies at an accelerated rate and had been accepted to teach at the Vulcan Science Academy. But more importantly to Spock, nobody would have dreamed of bullying the first-born, full-blooded son of the S'chn T'gai Clan Leader. Unlike his "mongrel" half-brother, the "whelp of that human whore".

But there was a dark side to Sybok. The boy was emotionally traumatised due to having been abandoned by his mother, a condition which was known to lead to difficulties with emotional control. Sarek had indulged Sybok's tantrums on occasion as the cause was sometimes sufficient. However, Sybok had become increasingly irrational, poring through ancient texts to try to understand how his ancestors coped with their emotions. He eventually claimed that he could hear the 'voices of the ancients' speaking to him in his mind, urging him to search for what they termed the 'ultimate knowledge'. And then he started to gather followers…

When young Spock began to emulate Sybok's irrational behaviour, Sarek had no choice but to protect the honour of his clan, and Spock's reputation, by declaring his first-born son V'tosh ka'tur. It had been over 100 years since Spock had seen his brother sacrifice his life to save him and his colleagues, but not a day had gone by that he didn't think of his brother and what might have been had he managed to find him sooner. Now, of course, Spock had journeyed back in time, 25 years before Sybok's death on Sha Ka Ree. He had been considering for some time the possibility of tracking down his brother, but the needs of his people outweighed the needs of that one individual. Perhaps… perhaps this young male presented just such an opportunity; a valid reason to search for another V'tosh ka'tur. And if he were perchance to find his brother in the process of his search…

"Tell me, Sagan, what data do you have regarding your sister's most recent location?"

"S'haile, T'Xenu was always reluctant to give me any details of her location. But the last time I urged her through our bond to come home, I had the distinct impression that the word 'home' triggered in her mind a word that sounded somewhat like 'Tarsis'. I believe she was living under an assumed name but she didn't divulge it to me. T'Xenu was an accomplished musician and had previously mentioned that she was teaching music to young children. I daresay there are not too many Vulcan females teaching music on other worlds; perhaps she can be located?" The youth immediately shrank in his seat and looked down at his folded hands, surprised that he had made so bold a suggestion to a revered Elder.

Selek bored his eyes into the top of the young male's head, steepling his fingers as he considered his options. Yes, this could prove to be an excellent reason for beginning a search for his long-lost brother, using a general search for the V'tosh ka'tur as a logical cause. Vulcan society needed as many members as possible, and perhaps it was time to track down as many V'tosh ka'tur as possible and bring them back into the fold.

"Your request has merit, young one." he said eventually. "We need as many healthy females of breeding age as we can find. I cannot promise anything, but I will make enquiries." Selek stood up from his seat, immediately followed by Sagan. "Please leave your contact details with my aides". Sagan bowed respectfully to his Elder and exited Selek's office.

Selek returned to his desk and activated his computer. Tomorrow's schedule would have to be cleared: he had a great deal of research to do.

Glossary:

Sas-a-shar - Vulcan desert, otherwise known as The Forge

S'haile - lord

V'tosh ka'tur - Vulcans declared to be without logic